GREENWOOD, Ark. — Flowers and messages now sit in front of the Greenwood home, where a midnight fire claimed the lives of Wendy Medrano and her two children, Isaiah and Vivian.
On Wednesday morning, the Greenwood community learned that three members of their community died in a house fire. Two of the victims were students. The son, Isaiah, was a senior on the Bulldog football team.
"Just unbelievable, you know, worst nightmare, something that we've never gone through in our life, and something that you never wish upon anybody," Greenwood coach and Athletic Director Chris Young said. "Extreme hurt for our community, for our football team."
Teammate and Greenwood quarterback Kane Archer spoke to 5NEWS about the impact his death has had on the team.
"I mean, all of us are obviously in disbelief," Archer said. "I've been with Isaiah since I was eight years old, and he's meant so much to me. We've gone through a bunch of stuff together."
Archer said he drove to the school immediately after he heard the news. He said he walked in and saw Coach Young and his teammates, all grappling with the tragic incident. Now, he remembers Isaiah for always being a positive light.
"When you look at the guy, he's always smiling," Archer said. "You have a choice when you wake up if you want to be happy or mad and every single day, he wakes up to be happy. Isaiah was such a positive, uplifting person, and everybody's really, we're all in disbelief, and we can't believe it. I'm sure that moving forward it's going to be tough for the community, for all of us."
Archer shared that the family Isaiah's family was close and wanted him to do big things, showing up to his games every Friday night as he chased his dream of playing at Missouri State.
He said his mom had been longtime friends with Wendy and that he had known Vivian since she was a baby.
"She was growing up," Archer said. "It's so sad to see that they don't get to live out their life. It's heartbreaking."
Young not only remembers the player he lost, but he also reflects on how supportive Wendy was to her children and the Greenwood community.
"Isaiah was an amazing young man who had a huge impact, not only on this football team but our school and our community," Young said. "His mother was very visible at all times. On Friday nights, she was a supporter, not only of Isaiah, but our entire football team. She was a supporter of our school district. She had a business where she provided clothing for people in need."
Young said the support during this difficult time goes past Greenwood, with teams around the state paying their respects. Young said Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders had called the district's superintendent, while Arkansas Football coach Sam Pittman called the team. Young told his players that "football is not real important right now," but that they insisted on playing Friday night for Isaiah.
"They knew that that's what he wanted. They knew that's what his mom would want. His sister, Vivian was always visible on the sidelines, and, you know, loved watching her brother play," Young said. "Part of the healing process is allowing people to go through things that help them heal. And our kids wanted to play."
A moment of silence will be observed Friday night at the Bulldog's game against the Southside Mavericks at Fort Smith's Jim Rowland Stadium. On the field, Young said players will wear stickers with Isaiah's number zero. In the stands, Fort Smith will wear pink, Isaiah's favorite color, while Greenwood will wear shirts made in his honor.
"I think it's good for our kids. I think it's good for our players," Young said. "This has been tough, and anything we can do that remembers him and the good times and not necessarily the tragedy we've gone through, I think it helps us through this process."
Young said an account was made at Farmers Bank in Greenwood to help the family with any expenses and a potential scholarship in Isaiah's name.
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